Happy Zagmuk—If You Can Keep Itby L. Neil Smith
Maybe it's because I've been a libertarian for so long, accustomed
to being no more than a tiny mote floating in a vast ocean of those who disagree with
me about almost everything. Or maybe it's because I grew up the son of a mother who
described herself frequently as a "fallen away Catholic" and a father to whom religion
was never very important. In any event, It's always bothered me more that people
disregard the Bill of Rights than what's written in some holy tome or another.
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Winter's Bonea novel by Daniel Woodrellby Eric Oppen
We hear a good deal of how the War on Drugs devastates communities and
families, but most of what the mainstream media sees fit to print is focussed tightly on
"minority" neighborhoods in the cities. But the damage is just as great in the rural areas,
and this is where Winter's Bone is set.
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Who Loves Liberty More - Liberals or Conservatives?by Paul Bonneau
Back when I was living in Wyoming, I put together a website that
purported to rank those in the Wyoming legislature, based on their support of or
hostility to liberty. The site is here: Wyoming Liberty Index. Naturally, that was
when I still believed in the utility of political work. I might have been called a
minarchist back then as well (although I went back and forth on that one). If some
people used the Index to help them unseat liberty-hostile legislators, or support
the more liberty-friendly ones, it wouldn't have bothered me; however I stayed out
of that end of things, mostly because the ruling class feels the need to punish
anyone who influences elections. So much for free speech...
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Whither Now, libertarian?
A Covenant of Unanimous Consent articleby Dennis Wilson
What IS the NAP and who IS a libertarian? The Non-Aggression
Principle (NAP) is highlighted in red in the following statement.) "A libertarian is
a person who believes that no one has the right, under
any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to advocate or
delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with this principle
are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those who fail to act consistently
with it are not libertarians, regardless of what they may claim."—L. Neil Smith
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E-Book Round Up: A Libertarian and Objectivist Christmas Carolby Sean Gangol
(Some Spoilers) Considering the time of year that we are in I
thought that it was appropriate to a do a review of an E-book that reimagines Charles
Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol." While I admit freely that I have never read the
original Dickens short story, I have seen countless versions that have appeared on both
the big and small screen (my favorite is Scrooged with Bill Murray). When I
found this version in the Nook book store I was reminded of the article that Russell D.
Longcore wrote five years ago, titled "Ebenezer Scrooge and Economic Freedom." The
funny thing about that article is that it made me see Scrooge in an entirely different
light. It brought into question whether people's hatred of the man was even justified.
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A Shortage of Mature and Same Adultsby A.X. Perez
I have always felt that no one who fails to show an almost idolatrous
love of the ideals of liberty reflected in the US Constitution should be elected to Congress
or the Presidency. The alacrity displayed by almost every candidate for President to junk
the Constitution in pursuing the War on Terrorism reflects their unfitness for that office.
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ID Cards: Solving a Problem that Dare not Speak its Nameby Sean Gabb
Writing in the Daily Telegraph on the 10th December 2015, two Members
of Parliament—Frank Field and Nicholas Soames—regret the cancellation, in 2010, of the
previous Labour Government's identity card scheme. They argue that the threat of terrorism
requires us to think again. By all means, let us think again. However, since no material facts
have changed, I see no reason for reaching the same conclusion as before. Identity cards are an
astonishingly bad idea—so bad that it is hard to make a case for them with any semblance of good faith.
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Our mostly-usual practice is to skip the week between Christmas
and New-Years. We will probably do that again this year. Which
means we will be back January 3, 2016. Another way of saying it
is we will not publish on December 27. No matter which way you
look at it, it's the same thing. As best I can tell.

And in other news, "We wish you a merry christmas, we wish you
a merry christmas, we wish you a merry christmas, and a happy
new years." Also a merry zagmuk, and a pleasant any and all
other end-of-year holiday. Unless your calendar ends at some
other time of the year, in which case you are on your own,
okay?

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